Cruising Mayavideo
Sailing Pacific Mexico: Boat work in exotic locations
31 December 2024 · 21 min · 11K views · Isla Espiritu Santo
Sailboats anchor in turquoise bay beneath rugged cliffs
What this video covers
Mac and Jenny aboard the 37-ft Alberg 37 Maya spend nearly a month in La Paz, Baja California, working through a cascade of engine and instrument problems while cruising Pacific Mexico.16:54 The depth sounder had failed earlier in the series; the replacement in-hull transducer arrives in La Paz and is installed without a haul-out, requiring grinding aboard a lived-in boat.9:53 The engine hard-starting and RPM fluctuation prompt a systematic diagnosis: Mac swaps the air filter (visibly fouled), primary and secondary fuel filters, replaces the glow plug wiring with heavier-gauge wire to eliminate measured voltage drop, and finally pulls the 10-year-old glow plugs, finding one with an open circuit at the tip versus two ohms on a new plug.11:18 Despite all those changes, the engine still struggles to start, and starting fluid becomes the fallback for departure.15:50 A leaking dripless shaft seal is addressed by retightening the bellows mount.9:44 Between repairs, the crew anchors at Isla Espiritu Santo for two weeks — snorkeling, hiking, and swimming with sea lions — and swims with whale sharks near La Paz before departing for a two-day Sea of Cortez crossing to mainland Mexico.14:04 Systematic elimination of fuel, air, and electrical causes still left the root hard-starting fault unresolved by departure.
Boats in this video
More from Cruising Maya
From Cruising Maya — see the channel’s boat, crew, and every analysed video.
The Sailing Directory Newsletter
One email with the fleet's best finds — the moments, boats, and stories worth your watch time. Enter your own address to get your own copy.